Books : Search |
|
Books : Search |
|
The Limits of Power: The End of American Exceptionalism»rank: 309by: Andrew Bacevich
: :From an acclaimed conservative historian and former military officer, a bracing call for a pragmatic confrontation with the nation's problemsThe Limits of Power identifies a profound triple crisis facing America: the economy, in remarkable disarray, can no longer be fixed by relying on expansion abroad; the government, transformed by an imperial presidency, is a democracy in form only; U.S. involvement in endless wars, driven by a deep infatuation with military power, has been a catastrophe for the body politic. These pressing problems threaten all of us, Republicans and Democrats. If the nation is to solve its predicament, it will need the revival of a distinctly American approach: the neglected tradition of realism.Andrew ... |
The Irony of American History»rank: 4256by: Reinhold Niebuhr
: :“[Niebuhr] is one of my favorite philosophers. I take away [from his works] the compelling idea that there’s serious evil in the world, and hardship and pain. And we should be humble and modest in our belief we can eliminate those things. But we shouldn’t use that as an excuse for cynicism and inaction. I take away . . . the sense we have to make these efforts knowing they are hard.”—Senator Barack Obama Forged during the tumultuous but triumphant postwar years when America came of age as a world power, The Irony of American History is more relevant now than ever before. Cited by politicians as diverse as Hillary Clinton and John McCain, ... |
||
The New American Militarism: How Americans Are Seduced by War»rank: 15462by: Andrew J. Bacevich
: :In this provocative book, Andrew Bacevich warns of a dangerous dual obsession that has taken hold of Americans, conservatives, and liberals alike. It is a marriage of militarism and utopian ideology--of unprecedented military might wed to a blind faith in the universality of American values. This mindset, the author warns, invites endless war and the ever-deepening militarization of U.S. policy. It promises not to perfect but to pervert American ideals and to accelerate the hollowing out of American democracy. As it alienates others, it will leave the United States increasingly isolated. It will end in bankruptcy, moral as well as economic, and in abject failure. With The New American Militarism, which has ... |
The Tragedy of American Diplomacy»rank: 15462by: William A. Williams
: :In this provocative book, Andrew Bacevich warns of a dangerous dual obsession that has taken hold of Americans, conservatives, and liberals alike. It is a marriage of militarism and utopian ideology--of unprecedented military might wed to a blind faith in the universality of American values. This mindset, the author warns, invites endless war and the ever-deepening militarization of U.S. policy. It promises not to perfect but to pervert American ideals and to accelerate the hollowing out of American democracy. As it alienates others, it will leave the United States increasingly isolated. It will end in bankruptcy, moral as well as economic, and in abject failure. With The New American Militarism, which has ... |
||
American Empire: The Realities and Consequences of U.S. Diplomacy»rank: 130408by: Andrew J. Bacevich
: : In a challenging, provocative book, Andrew Bacevich reconsiders the assumptions and purposes governing the exercise of American global power. Examining the presidencies of George H. W. Bush and Bill Clinton--as well as George W. Bush's first year in office--he demolishes the view that the United States has failed to devise a replacement for containment as a basis for foreign policy. He finds instead that successive post-Cold War administrations have adhered to a well-defined 'strategy of openness.' Motivated by the imperative of economic expansionism, that strategy aims to foster an open and integrated international order, thereby perpetuating the undisputed primacy of the world's sole remaining superpower. Moreover, openness is not a new ... |
Empire As A Way of Life»rank: 106067by: William Appleman Williams
: :“An unblinkered look at our imperial past . . . a perceptive work by one of our most perceptive historians.”—Studs Terkel A work of remarkable prescience, Empire As A Way of Life is influential historian William Appleman Williams’s groundbreaking work highlighting imperialism—“empire as a way of life”—as the dominant theme in American history. Analyzing U.S. history from its revolutionary origins to the dawn of the Reagan era, Williams shows how America has always been addicted to empire in its foreign and domestic ideology. Detailing the imperial actions and beliefs of revered figures such as Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln and Franklin Delano Roosevelt, this book is the most in-depth historical study ... |
||
The Imperial Tense: Prospects and Problems of American Empire»rank: 507896by: Andrew J. Bacevich
: :What is the nature and scope of the American empire, and what are its prospects and challenges? In this timely and thought-provoking collection, leading scholars and observers consider the new reality of American power in the world and what consequences it may bring at home and abroad. First-rate...a most valuable collection. --Walter LaFeber |
In Search of Progressive America»rank: 130863by: Matthew Yglesias, Andrew Bacevich, Gary Gerstle, Todd Gitlin, Ezra Klein, Dean Baker, Karen Kornbluh, Nelson Lichtenstein
: :Nearly every recent poll finds that most voters agree with views historically labeled as liberal: a hike in the minimum wage, government-mandated health insurance for every American, stronger gun control laws, broader sex education programs, laws that would make it easier for unions to organize, and the use of diplomacy instead of war to combat terrorism. But as a conservative presidential administration exits, how can progressives step into the breach? In Search of Progressive America presents ten essays by journalists, academics, and government insiders that address the current state of promise and debate within the Left in U.S. politics. The political atmosphere that confronts progressives still poses challenges, and the authors propose ... |
||
The Long War: A New History of U.S. National Security Policy Since World War II»rank: 375361from: Columbia University Press
: :Nearly every recent poll finds that most voters agree with views historically labeled as liberal: a hike in the minimum wage, government-mandated health insurance for every American, stronger gun control laws, broader sex education programs, laws that would make it easier for unions to organize, and the use of diplomacy instead of war to combat terrorism. But as a conservative presidential administration exits, how can progressives step into the breach? In Search of Progressive America presents ten essays by journalists, academics, and government insiders that address the current state of promise and debate within the Left in U.S. politics. The political atmosphere that confronts progressives still poses challenges, and the authors propose ... |
War Over Kosovo»rank: 732490from: Columbia University Press
: :While many analysts view the war for Kosovo as a one-sided affair of passing importance, this volume insists otherwise. To a greater extent than any other episode since the end of the Cold War, the war in Kosovo revealed the distinctive attributes of a new American 'way of war.' In so doing, the conflict also brought into sharp focus the dilemmas -- military, political, and moral -- confronting a liberal democracy intent on wielding preeminent power on a global scale. |